


euphoria

by taelights



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Magic, Cambion Changkyun, Demons, Fluff, Kumiho Jooheon, Light Angst, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Nymph Hyungwon, Nymphs & Dryads, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Jookyun, Self-Hatred, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, mentions of bullying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-04-23 14:42:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14334699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taelights/pseuds/taelights
Summary: The forest outside of town was the only place Changkyun ever felt at peace.-Or, the story of how a half-demon fell in love with a nymph.





	1. prunus serrulata

**Author's Note:**

> Traditionally cambion is a word that refers to a creature that is half-human and half-demon (usually an incubus or succubus but sometimes also common demons depending on the lore you are looking at). However, for the purpose of this au, it refers to any half-demon no matter what other species they are crossed with. 
> 
> Also, chapter titles are going to be named after the scientific names of trees seeing as Hyungwon is a nymph, specifically a dryad, so he is a type of tree spirit.

Scribbling down the homework in his planner, Changkyun couldn’t help but glance at the time. 2:28. Only two more minutes until the bell rang freeing him from this hell. The bullies he had to deal with on a daily basis had been worse today than usual, making the typical verbal altercations turn violent.

If his demonic genes didn’t give him the ability to heal faster than a regular human, he might have been worried that his side was bruising at this very moment.

Changkyun was what many people would refer to as an outcast. He was either ignored or harassed by the other students at his school. Both were equally painful in their own ways, however, over time he had learned to deal with the pain.

Humans were cruel, so by now Changkyun had come to expect this.

Hearing the bell sound Changkyun stuffed his notebook and planner into his black leather backpack. Zipping up the pouch he reached into the front pocket and pulled his headphones out, so he could quickly slip them over his ears.

They were his only defense from the insults that would surely be thrown at him as he made his way out of his high school.

Immediately the comforting sound of B.A.P’s Diamond 4 Ya filled his ears as he hurried out of the building. His black hoodie pulled over his head and his eyes cast toward the ground in an effort to pass unnoticed. Changkyun could finally feel himself begin to relax as he let Daehyun’s honey-toned voice overcome him.

Whenever Changkyun listened to B.A.P he could almost for once feel better about who and what he was.

B.A.P were the first and only demon idols in the industry. The group consisted of three cambion, two incubi, and one regular demon. Although due to their demonic status they didn’t have as big of a following as other groups of their age, they still tried their hardest to gain exposure. Every chance they had they tried to prove to the world demons weren’t bad and deserved equal treatment.

While the world still had a long way to go in accepting people like them, they brought hope. Maybe one day demons wouldn’t be forced to live in the Underworld or have to endure bullying (or sometimes things much worse) if they chose to live among other creatures or humans.

At least that was the hope B.A.P provided Changkyun with. But he had a feeling it gave other cambion and demons the same hope as well. After all, many of them flooded B.A.P’s comments and mentions with praises of how much having demon idols in the industry helped them gain hope and confidence.

Noticing that he had managed to make his way off school grounds without any altercations, Changkyun let out a sigh of relief. Maybe luck was on his side for once he thought as he started to make his way through town to where the forest began.

❧

At the age of five, Changkyun started to despise the father he never knew.

Like many young children, Changkyun was bubbling with excitement at starting school. The days of being locked up at home would be over and instead for five days a week he would have a sanctuary to look forward to.

The television shows Changkyun’s mother would let him watch always made school look so fun. The main protagonists would always get to learn new things and take part in countless adventures with their diverse groups of friends. On those shows Changkyun would see human children befriending little witch and vampire children. Everyone living in harmony as they worked together to accomplish goals and have fun.

As it grew closer to the day he would head off to school, Changkyun grew more and more excited. He looked forward to the possibilities of all the friends he would make and all the new things he would learn. Maybe he would meet and befriend a werewolf or perhaps a faerie with their beautiful delicate wings.

Changkyun could still remember his determination to try to befriend every kid in class, both human and otherwise. He thought he would finally have people his age to play and eat with. He could even remember asking his mother to pack extra snacks in his lunchbox, so he would be able to share with all his new friends.

If Changkyun had been old enough, he may have noticed the sad look in his mother’s eyes as she complied with his request. Not wanting to put a damper on her son’s excitement but knowing full well of the pain that would soon affect him. She knew of the cruelty of the world and the way humans viewed creatures like him. Although she herself was human, she knew first hand of the horrors those who weren’t human could face.

When she went to university a few years before Changkyun was born, her best friend and roommate had been a kumiho. Although the university had a mixed population, it was still predominantly human. Due to that she would often see the hardships and bullying that would befall some of her classmates, especially her best friend, because of her kind.

Countless times she would have to dry the eyes of her kumiho friend or clean the cuts and bruises left by others on particularly bad days.

The world was nothing like the fictional universes Changkyun would read about in books or watch on tv. Maybe in some cities that were filled with a variety of different races it was getting better. But due to living primarily among human she knew that wouldn’t be the case. Humans prefer to stick themselves, pushing away anything different than them out of fear and hatred. Anything that wasn’t human always received harsh treatments and she knew if not today they would befall her son soon enough.

However, she had no other choice but to send him on his way.

Upon getting to school, Changkyun could remember immediately running over to help a human girl trying to build a Lego tower. Legos had always been one of his favourite toys growing up, so he had hoped they could bond over that. Tapping her on the shoulder, he was ready to introduce himself to her and ask if he could help. However, rather than being met with a pretty smile when she turned around, Changkyun was greeted with a high-pitched screech as she ran to cower behind the teacher’s desk.

The past few weeks Changkyun had practiced introducing himself to his stuffed animals, rehearsing the words characters in television shows would use so he could make friends. However, not even once, did he get to use the greetings he had learned.

Every time he tried to approach other kids, similar things would happen as with the first. Approaching a kid in the sandbox he was met with weeping. Trying to offer the lone kid at his table during lunch a cookie, the child ran away to sit at another table.

Every effort to make friends was quickly rejected.

He soon realized something else about the school after every rejected attempt. Unlike the shows he watched there weren’t any half angels or little elf children. Every single one of them was a human, unlike him.

Getting home from school for the day Changkyun curled up in his mother’s arms, sobbing over the fact that he didn’t understand why they didn’t like him. Trying to hush her son, his mother softly whispered things Changkyun couldn’t understand of the cruelties of this world as she comfortingly rubbed his back.   

She wished desperately that she could bring Changkyun somewhere else. Maybe to a city. While she knew cities still had their own problems and tension between races still existed, there humans and non-humans could live almost in peace among each other. But for now, she couldn’t. She was swamped with debt and couldn’t even imagine being able to pay for a one room apartment in the city. Instead she was forced to watch her child suffer due to his inhuman side.

That was the day Changkyun learned to properly look in the mirror and see what the rest of the world saw. The day he realized the features that separated himself from the rest of the world. The day he realized each one of those features was his father’s fault.

His father was responsible for the fact that Changkyun had hair as black as the night’s sky rather than the soft caramel like his mother. He was responsible for Changkyun’s cold pale skin rather than the warm golden tan that should bathe his body.

But most of all he was responsible for Changkyun’s eyes. The repulsive pitch-black eyes that were only disturbed in the centre by small blood red pupils. The eyes that had caused every kid in his kindergarten class to cower in fear and run away from him. The eyes that in the future would cause him to be bullied every day as children grew up and got a bit braver.

As Changkyun got older he learned eyes would betray him every day of his life. Permanently letting every human no matter where he went know, he wasn’t fully one of them.

❧

Changkyun’s feet crunched softly with each step across the leaf covered ground as he made his way through the forest. Upon entering the forest Changkyun had discarded his headphones back into his backpack because he preferred to be surrounded by the sounds of nature.

Changkyun had been coming to this forest for over a year now and it had quickly become the only place he could truly feel at peace. It was the only spot he didn’t need to drown out the sounds of others and instead could walk unbothered without his headphones.

During elementary school, Changkyun had always went directly home after school to avoid any more possible teasing. However, the older he got the more he naturally grew to want time away from his mother. As children grow they always find themselves wanting more independence and wanting time away from their family. It was a normal part of life that caused Changkyun to start looking for alternatives.

First, he had tried the local library. Everyone thought the library was an outdated relic from the past, but it was somewhere Changkyun began enjoying. He had free wifi to work on his homework from school as well as an endless supply of books. Everyday he would get lost in fictional worlds. It became a distraction from the reality he lived in. He could read of places that accepted people like him.

Or, he could read sweet love stories that gave him hope. Boys loving boys, girls loving girls, and girls loving boys. There where even stories of angels and demons, vampires and werewolves, or demi-gods and humans falling in love. He longed to feel this or go on one of the countless adventures these people went on. However, he was stuck here for now.

Eventually Changkyun realized the library wasn’t much of an escape. He began noticing the countless glares from the old librarians. Soon he quickly gave up the spot, although once a month he would brave a trip in to pick up a few new books to read so he could learn of other fictional tales.

Next, Changkyun had tried the local park. Again, at first it had worked great. Being the winter not many people wished to spend time outside. However, due to Changkyun’s demonic genes his body naturally regulated his body temperature to be comfortable in any environment.

It was nice to swing on the swing sets, read stories on frozen park benches, or draw pictures of the pond on his sketch pad.

Soon spring came again as it always did. Flowers bloomed, trees grew their leaves, and the air become warmer. Everything was beginning to bloom with life, so it was only natural for people to come out and join it. Children began visiting the playground and teens would spend their time at the skatepark or basketball courts.

Now rather than being met with silence as he walked through the park, Changkyun was met with the same treatment he faced at school. Insults and slurs were thrown at him from the teens he knew him from school. Every aspect of himself was insulted as always. Whether it be his demonic status, his sexuality, or even what he was wearing there was always an insult for it.

Now that his new sanctuary was taken over by the same douchebags from his school he had no other choice but to find another place to find another.

Finally, he had found just the place. While wandering around town one day he had reached the edge just as he had many times in the past. Rather than turning around however, Changkyun kept walking into the forest outside of town. Walking down the overgrown path he made his way among the trees.

Changkyun knew quickly that he had finally found a place he could be alone.. Plants didn’t give him judgmental stares or have any hurtful words to throw at him. He didn’t have to worry about not fitting in here, because there was no one he had to fail at fitting in with. It wasn’t a permanent safe haven by any means. However, it would work for now as a temporary utopia just a few blocks away from his home.

As he made his way deep into the forest Changkyun looked forward to his time of peace and quiet. Today he wanted to work on sketching a new drawing. Despite the fact that Changkyun had already been coming here for a year, he didn’t have many sketches of the forest landscape.

Today he made his way slightly deeper into the forest until he found a beautiful river he wanted to sketch. Climbing a beautiful sakura tree and finding a comfortable branch, Changkyun pulled his sketch pad and pencils out of his backpack.

❧

At the age of eleven, Changkyun developed a grudge against his mother.

Having enough of the endless teasing that had plagued him every day since he turned five, Changkyun had tried to run away. His demonic qualities were what everyone focused on which was the reason he couldn’t find acceptance. So, he had one place in mind of where he wanted to go. The Underworld.

The Underworld was the safest place for demons according to Changkyun’s countless days of research. Although some cities had mixed populations that included demons, they were often still heavily discriminated against.

Both humans and even some fellow creatures viewed them as heartless and dangerous. Seeing them as criminals and ones to never follow the norms that kept society safe. Sure, some demons could be like that, after all they were the living embodiment of sin. But Changkyun wasn’t like that and other demons had choose lives of good as well.

However, the Underworld was a place where only demons were allowed to reside. Therefore, it became the only place they could find complete acceptance seeing as they would be among each other rather than humans or any other creatures who thought they were better than them.

Skipping school that day, Changkyun had snuck back into his house after his mother left for work. Filling his backpack with clothing and a few items he couldn’t bare to leave behind (his journal, a framed picture of him with his mother, and favourite stuffed animal among them), Changkyun left.

Walking all the way to the nearest city, Changkyun had hopped on the soonest train that would bring him to where he needed to go. A few cities over was the access point to the Underworld. There he would be able to find a home and a job, so he could live like one of the demons.

Upon reaching the gates every demon both young and old had to enter thought to reach the Underworld, he had been immediately denied. But Changkyun couldn’t understand why. Questioning the intimidating demon guarding the gates he was given a simple answer. His horns.

Or rather, his lack of horns.

Every demon in the Underworld could easily be distinguished by the curly ram-like horns protruding from their skulls. However, Changkyun only had two small mahogany red knubs sticking out from his soft bed of black hair. A pathetic excuse for horns that immediately pointed out that he was part human.

As he shamefully made his way back home he realized the truth. He couldn’t fit into the human world because of his father’s genes. But now he couldn’t fit into the Underworld because of his mother’s genes. Everything was equally his mother’s fault as it has been his father’s fault.

It was her fault for inviting an incubus into her bed. It was her fault that he was an abomination combined from two species that should have never been mixed. It was her fault he was stuck between two worlds, unable to ever fully fit into either.

❧

“You know, you shouldn’t sit in the trees out here,” a voice startled Changkyun. Quickly the cambion scrambled to grab his sketch pad before it fell to the ground from the sakura tree he had comfortably been sitting in. Assured with the safety of his drawing, Changkyun glanced down to find the source of the voice. To his surprise he spotted a cherry blossom pink haired boy, probably around his age, looking up at him expectantly.  
  
Changkyun raised an eyebrow at the stranger, “And why’s that?”  
  
“You might end up pissing off the nymphs,” the boy answered as he hypocritically climbed to sit on the other end of the branch Changkyun had made himself comfortable in. “They can get very possessive of their trees, you know.”  
  
“I’ve been coming here for over a year. I think I would know if I was in danger of the wrath of any nymphs,” Changkyun rolled his eyes as he went back to shading the landscape he had been drawing.   
  
“Have you ever walked this far out before?” the pink haired boy asked causing Changkyun to shake his head no. “Well see that’s why. Nymphs don’t live that close to humans, they live farther into forests so people like you don’t go climbing all of their limbs.”  
  
“What? Are you some expert on nymphs?” Changkyun questioned sarcastically, not bothering to look at the boy. He desperately hoped the other would take the hint and leave him alone to finish his drawing. After all, the whole reason he came to the forest in the first place was to find a place he could be at peace. But the presence of another person was certainly putting a damper on his mood and ruining the silent atmosphere he craved.   
  
“I thought demons were supposed to be all-powerful and all-knowing beings. Do I really have to spell it out for you? I have pink hair and I’m in the middle of the forest where nymphs live.”  
  
“So, you’re a nymph,” Changkyun trailed off thinking. He had never met a nymph before, but he had heard stories of spirits that were attached to certain trees. Suddenly looking between the sakura tree and the cherry blossom pink hair on the nymph’s head a thought appeared in Changkyun’s mind of why this nymph may have started bothering him. “Is this your tree?”  
  
“No, I just think it would be for your best safety to get out of the tree before any nymphs cause you to fall.”  
  
“Well I appreciate your concern for my safety, but I think I’ll be fine,” Changkyun replied as he made no attempts to leave the tree. Sitting in silence the nymph stubbornly made no move to leave either, rather just sitting there to watch the strange demon sitting in his tree.   
  
“What’s your name?”  
  
“Shouldn’t you be leaving before any scary nymphs come along?” Changkyun questioned back. He could not remember ever having a conversation that dragged on this long. Changkyun could feel himself growing more and more uncomfortable the longer this nymph stuck around. “I’m not really into small talk so I suggest finding someone else to go talk to. There are apparently plenty of nymphs in this forest according to you so why don’t you go talk to one of them.”  
  
“I’m not into small talk either but I’m actually genuinely curious. I’ve never seen a demon so up close before. I can talk to nymphs any time, but I’ve never gotten a chance to speak to a real demon before.”  
  
“I’m more of a cambion than an actual demon,” Changkyun replied but seeing evident confusion appear on the nymph’s face he decided to clarify. “Cambions are half-demons. I’m half-human as well.”  
  
“I’ve never met a cambion before either so it’s nice to meet you. My name is Hyungwon by the way,” the nymph, Hyungwon, said looking at Changkyun expectantly as he still waited for the answer to his question.  
  
“I’m Changkyun.”  
  
“Changkyun. That’s a beautiful name,” Hyungwon grinned, the cambion’s name rolling easily off his tongue. Letting his silver eyes wander the expanse of Changkyun’s body, he stopped to focus on the sketch pad resting carefully in his lap. “I really love your art style.”  
  
“Thank you,” Changkyun replied awkwardly. He still wished Hyungwon would leave him alone but with the nymph’s apparent fascination with him it didn’t seem like that would happen anytime soon.   
  
It wasn’t as though Changkyun didn’t want a friend. However, it had been so long since he’d been involved in a friendly conversation with anyone other than his mom. He felt at a loss of what to say and feared still that this nymph was just waiting for the right moment to turn against him. No one ever wanted to talk to him unless it was to harass him for being a demon. Changkyun knew he needed to find a way out and fast before this nymph took away the only place he felt at peace.   
  
“Oh shit,” Changkyun exclaimed looking at his phone that displayed nothing, but Hyungwon didn’t have to know that. “I’m really sorry but my mom just texted looking for me. I really have to go before I get in trouble.”  
  
Not giving Hyungwon a chance to reply, Changkyun jumped from the tree and took off. But he didn’t miss the glimmer of disappointment flash across the nymph’s face. Maybe the nymph had genuinely wanted to talk to him, Changkyun’s mind considered as he made his way toward the trail back into town. But he quickly brushed that possibility out of his mind.   
  
No one would ever just be interested in talking to him. No one would ever want to become his friend. No one would ever see him as more than a demon. No matter how much Changkyun craved friends, love, and acceptance he knew he would never get any of it.   
  
It was an unrealistic dream that Changkyun had given up years ago.


	2. stewartia pseudocamellia

Changkyun found himself wandering through the forest once again trying to find a certain sakura tree. Ever since his encounter with Hyungwon yesterday he hadn’t been able to get the nymph out of his mind.  
  
Throughout the night his thoughts kept drifting to the short conversation he had with Hyungwon. It hadn’t been something overly significant, however, it was one of his first almost friendly interactions in years. Therefore, it seemed to refuse to leave his mind.  
  
Vaguely Changkyun could recall his mother remarking that he looked more distant and distracted than usual. Inquiring if something had happened, Changkyun simply rolled his blood red eyes and insisted nothing had changed. But the cambion still decided to go to bed that night early in hopes these intrusive thoughts of the nymph would fade.  
  
The next day it appeared he wouldn’t be so lucky.  
  
It was a habit of Changkyun’s to daydream during school. To allow his mind to wander enough to lose focus on the world around him. Some days it was even enough to drown out the teasing and hurtful words from his classmates. These daydreams always varied, however, they all helped to temporarily distract himself from the pain of his reality.  
  
Sometimes Changkyun would make up elaborate stories about fictional characters living better lives than him. Characters who were happy, in love, and didn’t know of the cruelty of humanity. Two demon princes getting married. Three best friends falling in love with each other. A faerie girl planning an intricate idea of how to propose to her lycan girlfriend. Love and happiness took many forms in Changkyun’s mind. It didn’t have a fixed point seeing as it never really mattered to him what it looked like. The only thing that mattered to him was that these characters he dreamed up didn’t suffer in any way.  
  
Other times Changkyun would imagine himself fitting in. A life in which he wasn’t too human for the demons or too demon for the humans. A reality in which he was fully human. Or, maybe another where he was fully demon. In those fictional lives, he had numerous people who cared about him and would never leave him. Groups of friends who accepted him. Even sometimes boyfriends who loved him.  
  
However, this time his daydreams were slightly different. They were filled with cherry blossoms, pink hair, and sakura trees. Filled with lovely conversations and what possibly could have been if he hadn’t run away. Filled with realities in which Hyungwon became so much more. A friend? An ally? A lover? It almost made him feel guilty for running away.  
  
Almost.  
  
After all he knew these thoughts were highly unrealistic. The person he barely talked to once wouldn’t want to be any of those things to him.  
  
Besides, even if Hyungwon somehow didn’t immediately hate him, Changkyun knew he would grow to.  
  
Either that or Hyungwon would inevitably end up leaving him. After all, the only time Changkyun had ever cared about someone they left him in the end. So why wouldn’t Hyungwon? He wasn’t worthy of friendship, acceptance, or romance therefore there would always be something preventing him from achieving these wishes.  
  
Changkyun needed to drop these unrealistic fantasies and recognize them for what they were, his mind simply picking a face to put on his usual dreams. For the first time in years someone had treated him kindly even if it was for a fleeting second. Therefore, his mind was merely taking the easy way out. Instead of picturing a fictional person or the face of someone he still pathetically held onto, he had something new.  
  
Still, Changkyun couldn’t help but feel conflicted about the whole situation no matter how many times he tried to reassure himself of this.  
  
His mind kept replaying the look of disappointment on Hyungwon’s face before he took off. But it still didn’t make sense. Why would someone ever be that disappointed to see him leave? Maybe he just misread his expression and it had been one of relief? As much as Changkyun wanted to consider Hyungwon had been disappointed, it didn’t make sense.  
  
It was best for him to forget about the nymph. The world was nothing like his daydreams and none of his fantasies would ever come true. Changkyun didn’t have any sort of future with this nymph.  
  
Hyungwon would never be his friend, his ally, or his lover. He would always just be a pretty face that was convenient to give false meaning to. Besides, it was unlikely that Changkyun would ever see the sakura tree spirit again.  
  
Changkyun tried to come to terms with this, however, seemingly against his will, his feet lead him towards the same spot he had met the nymph. The same unknown force compelled him to climb the sakura tree and sit on the same branch he had only a day before.  
  
He didn’t know why he was tempting fate. Maybe he just wanted another chance to talk to the nymph and see where it would lead? Maybe this time he would be brave enough to stick around and find out the other’s true intentions.  
  
Or, perhaps it was to prove to himself that one person bothering him wouldn’t take away the only place he had left. The only place he truly didn’t have to worry about the fact that he was a cambion.  
  
Whatever the case was, Changkyun made himself comfortable on the branch and took out his notebook. The last week he had been struggling with finding the right words to a song, so he hoped maybe a change of scenery would inspire him.  
  
Different forms of creativity had always helped Changkyun. Originally it had taken the form of drawing but over time song writing had been added to the list as well. Both served as another form of escape from reality much like his daydreams and the forest itself.  
  
Escape was his driving force in life. An escape from reality and pain was all Changkyun truly wanted no matter what form it was in. Everything he did was in an effort to find some sort of escape.  
  
Therefore, it made no sense to him why he would now be running towards something that could potentially hurt him. Someone that was sure to give him even more pain.  
  
Yet something brought Changkyun back to this sakura tree.  
  
Changkyun wasn’t sure why he was possibly now chasing pain, the very thing he wished to escape from. But a part of him foolishly hoped that he would see a certain nymph again.

  
❧

At the age of eleven, Changkyun made his first best friend.  
  
Even though nearly six years had passed, Changkyun could still clearly remember the conversation he had with his mother one early summer day.  
  
It had been the evening after his last day of school for the year. Changkyun would still remember the relief flowing through his body at the prospect of having three whole months away from his classmates.  
  
Dropping his backpack in the hallway closet, he heard his mother call him into the living room before he had a chance to sprint upstairs. Letting out a sigh he sat down next to her on their worn-out black leather sofa.  
  
Taking his cold hands in her own, Changkyun’s mother softly explained to him that two kumiho would be coming to stay with them. Changkyun could still recall the sad look in her eyes as she explained that her best friend from college and her son had been looking for a place to stay. They needed somewhere to escape a bad man from the city who intended to hurt them. So, his mother had kindly offered to let them stay as they escaped the man whom Changkyun later learned was her husband.  
  
Finding out the specifics, Changkyun learned that the kumiho would be taking their spare bedroom while her son would be sharing a room with him. At first, Changkyun was definitely not thrilled with the idea of having to share his space with another kid. But the prospect of meeting another nonhuman in real life was fascinating to him. He had seen a few in passing when he tried running away to the Underworld just a few months prior. However, the thought of getting to spend time with someone else who wasn’t human was certainly an intriguing thought. So, he hoped having to share with the kumiho wouldn’t be too bad and in the end worth the inconvenience.  
  
Only a few days after Changkyun had received this news, Ms. Lee and her son Jooheon appeared on their front doorstep. Changkyun’s mother had immediately pulled Ms. Lee in for a hug and excitedly began catching up with the kumiho. Changkyun drowned the two of them out as his eyes became fixed on Jooheon. In that moment he quickly decided to himself that kumihos were the most beautiful creatures ever.  
  
Out of every species Changkyun could have been mixed with, why did it have to be a demon and not a kumiho?  
  
Jooheon looked simply adorable with his pointed fox ears that stuck out of a bed of soft matching red hair. Even more endearing was the fluffy red tail that wrapped protectively around his body as he timidly introduced himself. Changkyun couldn’t help but feel jealous as he silently compared the stunning qualities of this kumiho boy to the hideous ones he was cursed with. The jealousy quickly began to fade upon seeing an endearing smile appear on the elder’s face and was instead replaced with the desire to pinch the other’s dimpled cheeks.  
  
Jooheon and his mother quickly settled into their home and within weeks it felt like the kumiho had always lived with them.  
  
Despite Jooheon being nearly three years older than Changkyun, the two had a lot in common, so they quickly managed to become close friends. During the summer they spent almost every moment together, quickly figuring out they both liked the same music and movies plus enjoyed many of the same activities.  
  
But most of all, Jooheon also knew the struggles that came with being half-human. While kumiho were generally more accepted compared to other more threatening species such as demons, he still often faced some of the same struggles Changkyun did when it came to dealing with humans. Finally, the cambion had someone who understood him and could comfort him when things became too much.  
  
Throughout the three years Jooheon and Ms. Lee lived with them, Changkyun realized what it was like to not be lonely. He finally had a friend to do everything with. Some days they would play video games together after school or walk around town going on made up adventures. Other days Jooheon would teach Changkyun how to properly write songs. Occasionally, the two would even just lay cuddled in bed taking comfort in each other’s presence, Jooheon playing songs from his favourite group B.A.P as they laid there.  
  
Jooheon and Changkyun became each other’s everything as they started to mutually depend on one another. Neither of them could imagine life without the other seeing as before they met neither of them had ever been happy. Now they both had someone to distract them from the misfortunes that still plagued them.  
  
At the age of fifteen, that all came crumbling down.  
  
Like every night, Changkyun was cuddled safely in Jooheon’s arms in their shared bed. When Jooheon first moved in the two would take turns either sleeping in the bed or a sleeping bag on the floor. But within months they took to just sharing Changkyun’s bed, finding that they both slept better with their arms around each other.  
  
The two talked softly about their day as Changkyun absentmindedly played with Jooheon’s soft fox-like tail. It was peaceful and nice, but quickly interrupted by muffled yelling as their mothers argued back and forth in the living room. Their equally stubborn personalities had always been an explosive combination. In the past they had always been able to work past their differences but adding money to the equation no longer made this a simple task to accomplish.  
  
Letting out a whimper, Changkyun buried his face in Jooheon’s chest. Their mothers had been fighting a lot recently but no matter how many times it happened he could never grow used to it. Jooheon quickly peppered kisses across his best friend’s face and neck, reassuring him that people sometimes fought but it would be okay in the end. They would soon make up like they always did and end their recent disagreement.  
  
Trusting Jooheon’s words seeing as he had never been wrong before, Changkyun softly kissed the kumiho goodnight and soon drifted off to sleep in the other’s embrace.  
  
Going to school the next day, everything seemed normal again. Their mothers both wished them goodbye and the two of them set off hand in hand as they made their way to school. Like every day, the two parted ways with a hug, Jooheon leaving a lingering kiss on Changkyun’s forehead before heading off to their separate classrooms.  
  
It wasn’t until lunch time that things seemed to change.  
  
Sitting down in their usual spot, the circular cafeteria table in the furthest corner of the school’s dining hall, Changkyun waited for Jooheon to show up. Many days Jooheon tended to buy lunch instead of bringing his own. He always preferred the warm meals and the variety offered while Changkyun was find with just packing sandwiches.  
  
Taking a bite out of the turkey club he brought that day, Changkyun patiently waited for his best friend to show up. He was eager to talk to Jooheon about a new idea for a song he had gotten during class.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Changkyun had finished his lunch and noticed the cafeteria lines had fully diminished, but Jooheon wasn’t sitting next to him. Changkyun could feel anxiety begin to bubble deep inside of him as he went through every possibility of what would have happened to his best friend. Images of Jooheon laying beaten and unconscious on one of the school’s bathroom floors flashed through his mind causing him to feel sick. He knew Jooheon often suffered the same abuse he did from other students, which made this fear a possibility if their bullies had gone too far this time.  
  
Quickly packing up his bags Changkyun decided to start his search in the principal’s office hoping that maybe they might have heard what happened to the kumiho.  
  
If not Changkyun swore to himself, he would personally scour the school grounds himself until Jooheon was found.  
  
Asking the secretary at the front desk, he learned that Ms. Lee had come to pick him up earlier that day. Changkyun let out a sign of relief, Jooheon had probably just fallen ill and called his mom to go home. After all, the kumiho had been complaining of a sore throat and headache that morning as they walked in together.    
  
The rest of the day Changkyun couldn’t wait to get back home. Whenever Jooheon got sick he somehow became more cuddly than usual, so he looked forward to spending the rest of the night nestled under a pile of blankets with his Jooheonie. Maybe he would even make Jooheon’s favourite hot chocolate and popcorn for the two of them to share. It had been awhile since they had a movie night together and Jooheon recently kept mentioning new movies he wanted to watch.  
  
Debating with himself over which movie would be the best to watch tonight, Changkyun came to a halt when he heard his mother crying. Closing the front door behind him, the cambion immediately sensed something was very wrong. Hesitantly approaching her sobbing form, she gestured for him to sit next to her on the living room sofa.

Through tears she explained to Changkyun that the night before she had gone too far while lashing out. Her frustrations over their financial situation and Ms. Lee’s refusal to contribute had finally become too much. She wished desperately she could change what happened the night before but she couldn’t take back her actions. When she got home from work she had found a note from Ms. Lee that stated her and Jooheon would be leaving. She couldn’t blame her for leaving, after all she had become almost as bad as the person Ms. Lee had been originally trying to escape.  
  
That night Changkyun’s tears had been uncontrollable as he wept into his pillow. Sobbing even harder as he noticed the lingering honey scent tainting the fabric. It was a smell that had brought him comfort every night for the last three years, but now only brought him sadness.  
  
Days and nights became lonely once again, however, this time the feeling was amplified because Changkyun finally knew what he was truly missing.  
  
He was missing acceptance, love, and happiness. But most of all, he was missing his Jooheon.  
  
The first four months Changkyun foolishly hoped Jooheon and his mother would come back. Changkyun expected to wake up again one day and find Jooheon softly nuzzling his neck, mumbling for him to go back to sleep when he felt that cambion stir awake. Or, maybe to come home from school to find Jooheon playing video games in their room.  
  
By the fifth month Changkyun realized this lingering hope was useless. He would never see his kumiho again. Crying while clutching the fox plushie Jooheon had gotten him, he tried to accept this fact. However, he never fully could.  
  
Three years later Changkyun still thought about Jooheon on occasion, feeling the pain of losing him as if it was just yesterday. Every night he still cuddled with the fix stuffed animal in his bed, wishing desperately the honey scent that once covered it hadn’t faded over time.  
  
Even if he managed to make another friend, would it ever truly be worth it. He craved the ability to feel the way he had when Jooheon was still by his side. But loss and heartbreak hurt one hundred times more than loneliness.  
  
A part of him wanted to try again, but Changkyun didn’t know if the inevitable hurt and disappointment would ever be truly worth it.

❧

“I thought I told you to stop sitting in my tree,” Hyungwon’s teasing voice reached Changkyun’s ears causing him to halt abruptly in his writing. Making a mental note to finish the song when he got back home, Changkyun closed his notebook and quickly tucked it into his backpack.  
  
“I thought you said this wasn’t your tree,” Changkyun recalled, trying to keep his voice steady and casual despite his current internal conflict. One half of Changkyun’s brain was yelling at him to run away while the other tried to beg him to stay and see where this conversation would lead. Deciding to let his curiosity get the best of him, Changkyun decided to listen to the second voice in his head. After all, he had come all this way, so it wouldn’t make sense to head back so soon.  
  
However, the thought of not knowing the nymph’s motivation in approaching him yet again filled Changkyun with apprehension.  
  
“In the traditional sense it isn’t,” Hyungwon replied. Busy contemplating the meaning of the other’s word the cambion didn’t notice Hyungwon joined him in the tree until he felt the nymph’s arm brush against his own. “You aren’t going to run away again, are you?” the sakura nymph raised an eyebrow as if daring the cambion to jump from the tree. For a moment he considered possibly running, especially given how close Hyungwon was sitting this time, but he made no move to even shift away from the other.  
  
“Why would it matter to you anyway?” Changkyun questioned in a harsher tone than he originally intended. The nymph’s sudden interest in him still confusing the cambion, leaving him frustrated and looking for answers.  
  
“It gets boring living in a forest your whole life,” Hyungwon shrugged, seemingly not affected by the defensive tone Changkyun took. Perhaps he hadn’t noticed the cambion’s defensive tone or maybe he had and simply didn’t care.  
  
“Don’t you have other nymphs to talk to? Why bother with me?”  
  
“Well I’ve never seen a demon, or well a cambion, up close before. So, you’re interesting,” Hyungwon repeated the same explanation from their first meeting. “Besides most nymphs tend to keep to themselves so it’s difficult to find good company.”  
  
“I don’t make the best company you know.”  
  
“Well, any company is better than nothing.”  
  
Nodding in agreement, Changkyun played with one of the loose threads on his black sweater. Due to not having much practice in life, he was clueless when it came to making friends or carrying on a conversation with someone he didn’t know well. It had been so long since getting to know Jooheon that Changkyun barely knew where to begin when it came to forming new relationships. Thinking back to meeting Jooheon, he could hardly remember a period of getting to know each other because with the kumiho everything had flowed so quickly and naturally.  
  
“What’s it like beyond the forest?” Hyungwon broke the silence after a few moments. He hoped it would help the cambion have something to talk about, plus he has always been curious. I’ve always wanted to know. I’m not bound to my trees like some dryads are, but I’ve always listened to the rules and never wandered beyond the forest.”  
  
“Trust me, you aren’t missing out on anything. The forest is much nicer.”  
  
“Even so, I’ve always wanted to explore outside of here,” Hyungwon admitted. “If I end up preferring the forest I still want to see other parts of the world and meet different creatures that aren’t nymphs. You’ve probably met a bunch, but I’ve only seen from a distance a few demons and wendigos plus the occasional human.”  
  
“I’ve not seen many either. I’ve met a kumiho before but other than that I mostly only come across humans and they are definitely not as exciting as you think.”  
  
“Wait, you don’t live in the Underworld?” Hyungwon asked, shock evident in his voice. Most demons rarely left the Underworld, so Changkyun couldn’t blame him for sounding so surprised due to his mostly demonic appearance. Especially seeing as Hyungwon was a nymph and most forest creatures rarely left the safety of their home which often resulted in them not knowing a lot about the world around them.  
  
“No, I live with my mom in the town outside of here,” Changkyun explained. Unfortunately, cambion born outside of the Underworld rarely ever got the chance to enter the Underworld. Those lucky enough to be born to a demon mother got to freely travel back and forth if they pleased, but those born elsewhere had a difficult time entering. “It’s mostly full of humans who are honestly not that accepting of people who are different than them.”  
  
Hyungwon nodded in understanding. “Still I’ve heard rumours the cities are nicer and have lots of different creatures. I’ve always wanted to go there but I can’t survive more than a few days outside of nature which would make any trips a waste of time.”

“Yeah I’ve always wanted to go to one of the cities also because I’ve heard the same thing. I don’t know how true it is though.”

“Maybe one of us might find out one day,” Hyungwon said wistfully. Changkyun nodded in agreement hoping he would at least. Maybe when he went off next year to a college in the city things would be different.  
  
“It’s getting late,” Changkyun observed, “I should get going.” The sun was setting low, bathing the sky in an array of pinks and oranges. Changkyun and Hyungwon both knew this unfortunately meant the two would have to part ways again as night would soon fall upon the earth. Everyone knew the forest was unsafe at night, even for a half-demon, so it would be best to head back while he still had the chance. After all, unlike the nymph he didn’t have a tree trunk to provide him safe shelter for the night.  
  
“Will you come back tomorrow?” Hyungwon asked with a hopeful glimmer in his eyes.  
  
The cambion knew he should probably say no, but he found himself nodding. “Of course. I’ll see you again tomorrow,” Changkyun promised before jumping from the sakura tree.  
  
Bidding each other goodnight Changkyun headed back towards town. Maybe acceptance wasn’t as far-off as Changkyun originally believed. However, that possibility filled him with a new fear.  
  
He had so easily fallen for Hyungwon’s kindness. But what if this kindness developed into something more? What if he allowed himself to be happy for once and lost that happiness again? He couldn’t stand the possibility of Hyungwon turning into another Jooheon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for the kudos and comments last chapter! i'm sorry this one is a bit late but i hope everyone enjoys it regardless!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! Any and all comments are always appreciated!! 
> 
> Also, I want to say a huge thank you to my beta [belldroy101](https://archiveofourown.org/users/belldroy101/pseuds/belldroy101)!! I appreciate your help so much!! i feel like with your help I'm definitely beginning to improve a bit in my writing!! Everyone, please make sure to check her out also because she writes amazing stories!!
> 
> Hit me up on [tumblr](http://taelights.tumblr.com/) if you want!!
> 
> Btw the fic title is from the song [Euphoria](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz5biQdM6bc) by BTS because I personally think the feel and lyrics of the song perfectly match hyungkyun's future relationship.


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